


Down to Nothing

by irlangel



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas Fluff, Domestic, F/M, Law School, M/M, Multi, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 18:20:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6764836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlangel/pseuds/irlangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>REPOST FROM OLD ACCOUNT</p><p>In which Geoff owns a rundown bar and Michael is a struggling law student. They're broke, argumentative, and blissfully happy. They make it work somehow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Down to Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> reposting from my old account that i took down a while ago  
> i'm back i guess

Geoff's left forearm still has lemon chiffon colored paint on it, and it sort of irritates him because sure he’s spent the last couple of days painting the walls of his and Michael’s new apartment, but there’s no way there should still be any paint on him after showering and scrubbing a few times. Perhaps the yellow paint is haunting him, like he’s angered the ghost of a baker and now he’ll be forced to see that ugly lemon cake color forever. Michael thinks it’s cheerful, Geoff thinks it’s obnoxious. When his first early morning customer left, Geoff turns his back to the counter as he tries to scratch the paint off his skin. Once it’s as gone as it can be without the assistance of soap and water, one of Michael’s law textbooks catches his eye. Heaving a sigh, he fishes his phone out of his pocket to text his boyfriend to remind him to swing by to pick it up before classes.

 

Geoff honestly still can't think of Michael's talent as mundane, no matter how many boring episodes of Law and Order he’s seen. Michael always complains that things aren’t as dramatic as the show in real life, but Geoff thinks it would be much more entertaining to see Michael in a suit reciting the law. He sets aside those thoughts when he hears the door swing open (he hadn’t bought a bell, deeming them too annoying.)

 

“Hey, Geoff.” Jack smiles from the doorway and waves his hand in a short greeting, crossing the bar to sit at one of the stools in front of Geoff. He'd filled out since high school and was on the soft side, but he was strong and could still probably pick up Geoff with one hand. He looks better with a thicker beard, Geoff thinks, it frames his face well. Jack came to visit Geoff and Michael at their new apartment last week, and Michael compared him to an overstuffed teddy bear, an observation Geoff seconded. He came in almost every Thursday before work to catch up with Geoff, since they haven’t talked much since high school.

 

“Hi Jack. What’ll it be?”

 

“Just water, thanks.”

 

Geoff nods and plucks up a glass from beneath the counter, shuffling aside to pour iced water from a pitcher into the glass before sliding it across the bar to the bearded man. Jack thanks him kindly and takes a sip, watching the tattooed man cross his arms over the counter before starting a conversation.

 

“How have things been going with the new apartment?”

 

“Pretty good. I just got done painting the living room a God awful shade of yellow yesterday.”

 

Jack chuckles softly and takes another sip of his water, and Geoff watches tiredly as a thin line of condensated water slides down the glass and disperses on the wooden counter. Jack sounded so innocuous and friendly when he asked about Geoff’s personal life that Geoff couldn’t even begin to feel annoyed.

 

“I guess that one was Michael’s idea?”

 

“Oh yeah. Our living room looks like a sunflower threw up all over the walls.”

 

Jack laughs wholeheartedly at that comment, and Geoff grins beneath his dark mustache. Moments like these remind him his old friends aren’t so far away, and he considers having a house party once Michael gets a break from school.

 

“How’s Michael been holding up?”

 

“He’s doing the best he can, but college’s sucking him dry. I don’t think you could pay me enough to go back to college. How’s Caiti doing?”

 

Jack goes on a long ramble about how they’ve been traveling a lot recently and shows Geoff a few pictures on his phone from Italy and Brazil. Geoff doesn’t envy such a fast paced life, but he’s happy for them. He’d much rather be in one place with all the people he likes and all the food he can stomach. Their discussion about travel and world news ends abruptly when Jack checks the time on his phone and quickly gulps down the rest of his water. He excuses himself for work and waves Geoff a short goodbye as he heads towards the door.

 

“I gotta head to work. Keep me updated about that house party idea, and tell Michael I said hi.”

 

With Jack gone and no other customers in sight, Geoff leaves the front counter and tells Barbara he’ll be upstairs if she needed him. He opens the door to the stairs, and the wood squeaks against the floor as it opens. He makes his way up to the storage room and moves a couple of boxes of whiskey and beer towards the door to remember to carry those back downstairs. He takes a seat in a creaky metal chair placed to the left of the room and peers out the window. It was raining again today, and it had been raining in Austin all week. The people on the street below walked quickly to find shelter, and it didn’t seem like there were many cars. Everything seemed dull.

 

There’s something strange and uncomfortable about the word everything. Michael hardly ever uses that word unless he’s quoting a book or someone else he’d been talking to that day. The word feels foreign in Geoff’s mind, and he wonders how much of an impact Michael’s thoughts had on his own thoughts. When Geoff takes the boxes of whiskey and beer back downstairs, he finds Barbara assisting two customers. He ushers her away from the counter once she’s finished and asks her to store the drinks. The rest of the morning saw four more customers, and Geoff's phone rings just as he closes the bar for lunch. He presses his phone between his shoulder and his left ear as he awkwardly tries to wiggle into his jacket. He zips the front and pulls up the hood before picking up the phone again.

 

“Hey. How's work today?” It’s Michael, and of course Geoff had been expecting it to be him.

 

“Fine. Do you have time to meet for lunch before class? I have your textbook.”

 

“I can’t, I need to shower before I go. Can you come drop it off?”

 

“Sure thing. What do you want me to pick up for dinner later?”

 

“I don’t really care. Something greasy.”

 

“Sounds good. You know, I think we should have a house party. Once you get a break from school, I mean. It would be nice to have everyone together again.”

 

Michael pauses in thought, and when he speaks again his voice echoes slightly and Geoff can tell he’s in the bathroom getting ready to shower.

 

“Who gave you that idea?”

 

“Jack did earlier this morning.”

 

“Fine. We can discuss this later. I’ll see you tonight.” Michael hangs up and Geoff shoves his phone in his pocket before crossing the street and walking a few blocks up the road to get to Jon Risinger’s café. He enters and the doorbell chimes loudly, and Jon peeks his head up from behind an espresso machine to greet Geoff cheerfully. Geoff takes a seat and orders a hot cup of black coffee and a turkey sandwich. He eats in silence and gazes out the window when he hears thunder. Back at the bar, no one is expecting to get a lot of customers with the weather. Geoff leaves early to pick up dinner and hands over the keys to Jeremy.

 

Michael meets Geoff at the door and leans up to kiss him quickly, taking the plastic back of takeout from his left hand. Geoff steps inside and kicks off his shoes and shucks off his jacket before taking a seat on the couch next to Michael. He smiles briefly at the ginger’s notes and textbooks strewn all over the coffee table, and watches in amusement as Michael settles for opening up the styrofoam boxes in his lap. He passes Geoff his box with a philly cheesesteak and onion rings before opening his own box with a greasy cheeseburger and steak fries.

 

“Rough day?” Geoff asks when he notices Michael’s wearing a deep red sweatshirt with his school’s name on the front in white letters and a pair of Geoff’s grey sweatpants that are about three sizes too big on him. He sniffles and rubs his puffy eyes before shoving a few fries in his mouth.

 

“Fuck this cold.” Michael plucks up a bottle of Advil from the table and it rattles as he dumps a few pills into his palm. Geoff warns him not to take too many, but Michael assures him that he could read the bottle. They eat in silence, occasionally interrupted by Michael’s sniffles and sneezes. By the time they finished, Michael took one of the extra napkins from the plastic bag and expelled about a gallon of snot in one blow.

Geoff takes that as a good sign and plucks Michael’s box out of his lap, taking both of theirs to the kitchen to throw away. When he returns, Michael’s blowing his nose again before he pulls a quilt over his lap. He takes a seat next to the curly haired boy and lets him rest his head on his shoulder. He runs his tattooed fingers through Michael’s thick curls and presses a quick kiss to the top of his head.

 

“Maybe you should go to bed.”

 

“No, I have a test tomorrow. I need to study.”

 

“Are you sure you’re up for it?”

 

It was pointless to question Michael, as he only got a nod in reply. Michael’s cold stuck around for another day, but at least he passed his test with flying colors. They were back to their usual routine after that hiccup, and Geoff’s bar saw more customers than usual the day Michael felt better. It’s still storming when Geoff comes back home, and when he unlocks the door and steps inside Michael doesn’t meet him. It’s dark and there are several candles lit around the living room and Michael’s curled up on the couch reading off his kindle.

 

“Power out?”

 

“Mhmm.”

 

“Figures.”

 

Geoff kicks off his shoes and walks around the couch, nudging Michael’s feet so he can sit down. Michael moves his feet up into Geoff’s lap, and the older man fixes the blanket over them absentmindedly.

 

“What are you reading?”

 

“The Catcher in the Rye.”

 

Geoff hums in reply and Michael twists so his back sinks into the couch cushions. His eyes flick from his kindle to Geoff’s profile briefly and he grins before looking back at the story.

 

“I checked your kindle when the power went out and it’s dead. Not much to do in the dark other than read.”

 

“You could read to me.”

 

Michael pauses for a moment to finish reading the paragraph he was on before quietly reading the next aloud. It’s a mystery to Geoff why he reads it quietly like it’s a secret or he’s afraid someone will hear. Then again, Michael is a mystery in himself that Geoff still hasn’t figured out.

 

“I've lived in New York all my life, and I know Central Park like the back of my hand, because I used to roller-skate there all the time and ride my bike when I was a kid, but I had the most terrific trouble finding that lagoon that night. I knew right where it was--it was right near Central Park South and all--but I still couldn't find it. I must've been drunker than I thought. I kept walking and walking, and it kept getting darker and darker and spookier and spookier. I didn't see one person the whole time I was in the park. I'm just as glad. I probably would've jumped about a mile if I had. Then, finally, I found it. What it was, it was partly frozen and partly not frozen. But I didn't see any ducks around. I walked all around the whole damn lake--I damn near fell in once, in fact-but I didn't see a single duck. I thought maybe if there were any around, they might be asleep or something near the edge of the water, near the grass and all. That's how I nearly fell in. But I couldn't find any.”

 

Christmas morning Geoff wakes up early. Michael has the week off of school and he’s definitely using his time to catch up on sleep. Not wanting to disturb the younger boy, he slips out of bed carefully and heads downstairs. They were both enthusiastic about Christmas and had taken time out of their schedules to decorate the whole apartment from head to toe in tinsel and fairy lights. Geoff makes breakfast of eggs and toast, and Michael emerges from the bedroom when he smells it. They eat at the kitchen table and Michael gulps down a cup of coffee before he’s awake enough to hold a conversation. They had decided Christmas would be a good time for the house party, so they had to do deep cleaning to make sure the house was presentable for company.

 

“You wanna buy a ham after church?” Geoff asks around a mouthful of toast and Michael grins over his mug with Snoopy and Woodstock on it. It’s his favorite mug.

 

“You wanna cook a ham after church?”

 

“Not at all, but we do need to get food.”

 

“We can discuss it at the store.”

 

Geoff always drives because Michael has a bad habit of driving aggressively and getting angry at every little fault of the road. His most recent habit has been cursing the government for not using his tax dollars to fill potholes. The two of them usually attended Sunday service, but Geoff wasn’t nearly a invested as Michael. He couldn’t quote verses and he was silent when everyone stood to sing gospel songs. Michael always insisted they go for Christmas service though, and this year the children at the Sunday school were going to perform a play reenacting the birth of Christ. Michael thinks it’s cute. Geoff could really use a beer.

 

On their way out, it’s snowing and Geoff realizes it’s the first white Christmas in Austin since before he was born. He smiles widely and looks up at the sky as tiny snowflakes land and melt on his cheeks. He’s snapped out of his daze when Michael tugs his suit sleeve excitedly.

 

“Hey, look. Is that Gavin and Meg over there?”

 

It  _ is _ , and Geoff doesn’t know why he’s so happy to see that British idiot. It’s probably more like he’s happy Michael recognized the pair since Team Nice Dynamite died shortly after high school. Not from a falling out, just from drifting apart into different directions. They both jog over to them and Gavin greets the pair warmly.

 

“Micoo, Geoff!” He calls and nearly jumps into Michael’s open arms in a bruising hug. Meg laughs, sugar sweet, and steps forward to hug Geoff tightly. Her hair is purple now, not red like it was a few year back, and her stomach is round and her eyes are bright. Gavin’s still a skinny fucker and Michael shoves his shoulder and laughs playfully when he notices Gavin’s suit is too small.

 

“It's good to see you two.” Meg says politely and it’s Michael’s turn to hug her, but he’s careful to step far away enough not to touch her stomach just from general fear of disturbing the baby. She steps back and he takes her in, her hair is wavy and loose and she has thick rimmed black glasses on the brim of her nose. She’s wearing a baby blue dress and fluffy black boots. Gavin’s got a smile permanently placed on his dumb face. He’s gotten taller, Geoff notes, and he sort of towers over Michael. He’s tanner than he was in high school, but his hair is still unruly. 

 

“You look great.” Geoff says to the both of them, and they catch up for a while and Michael insists they come to their Christmas party later. They agree, not having many plans. They find out Meg’s having a baby girl that they’ll name Autumn, and she’s due in late May. Gavin’s working with an old friend Dan, and they’re sort of famous online for scientific experiments and goofing off in slow motion.

 

“So if you two are here, does that mean Haywood and his sidekick are lurking around?”

 

Gavin shakes his head with a small frown. “No, I haven’t talked to Ryan or Ray in about a year. I was gonna ask you two the same thing.” Michael shrugs and says he’ll give them a call to see if they want to come to the party, but he’s not even sure they’re in Austin anymore.

 

Everyone and all their friends show up to the party, and the Lads and Gents are all reunited to everyone’s surprise. Ray talks about a girl named Tina he’s dating and shows pictures of them together to Michael and Gavin. Ryan doesn’t reveal much, only that he’s married now and has two children, but then again he was always a mysterious guy. A few are tipsy from eggnog and the house smells like juicy ham and gingerbread cookies. Having brought last minute presents for each other, everyone sits around the lit up tree to exchange gifts.

 

Barbara gets a cat sweater from Geoff, and Jon gets an overly expensive tie from Ryan. When asked what he’s doing for a living and how he could afford such a thing, Ryan only laughs and shakes it off. Ashley gets a dress from Meg, Ryan gets a nice pair of boots from Jack, Kerry gets a signed Lord of the Rings poster from Chris, Gavin gets a half eaten box of grapes from the fridge from Michael, and Miles gets a kiss under the mistletoe from Kerry. After gifts, they all sit around the living room together to watch old Christmas movies. When Michael peers out the window, he sees the snow sticking to the grass. Weather calls for 2 inches of snow, and Ray challenges Ryan to a snowball fight. Meg and Ashley make fruitcake together and Gavin excitedly shows everyone in the living room his slow motion videos. Ryan kicks Ray’s ass in a snowball fight. Michael’s heart swells because it’s so pleasant to have everyone back together, even if it’s just for a day. He leans his head on Geoff’s shoulder and tangles their fingers together before saying that rare word.

 

“Everything is wonderful.”

  
Everything.


End file.
